Original "assault" rifle ??

[Muley Gil]

Just as an aside, the terms rifle, pistol, gun, or even firearm are NOT in the 2nd Amendment. The term is "arms".

If you look up the definition of "arms" in the 18th century you will find that the definition was, more or less, anything that a person wears or carries for his/her defense, or, and this is the best part, "takes in his/her hands as a weapon". So, from a legal perspective, it matters not one hoot what the State of Washington calls an "assault rifle" except and unless judges, or Justices, redefine the term "arms".

This is certainly off the original topic so I'll stop there.

But I do appreciate learning the history of one Vern Miller. Fascinating criminal from the Depression era. A nasty guy indeed!

The movie about Vern Miller was mostly filmed in Bessemer, Alabama.

 

[2152hq]

I think the Pedersen Device was on the road towards what would be the AW, however it would be defined by whomever decides these things.

It being semiauto only instantly takes it out of the race by todays standards as do a few other specifics.
But I feel the thought behind it's design, it's intended use by the troops and to what what end in WW1 it was to achieve on the stalled Western Front makes it an Assault Weapon.

FWIW, the Winchester M1907 was converted to FA by an enterprizing Texas gunsmith and leather-worker named Hyman Lebman.

By all accounts a low key guy, excellent craftsman in his different fields.
He had a liking for the Colt 1911 and experimented with and developed a F/A version. Some were Full/Semi auto.
This was just before NFA in the early 30's.
You could buy a TSMG and have it sent to your home.

He also converted the M1907 to a F/A design.

Some of his best customers were the likes of people named Dillinger, Gillis, VanMeter, ect.
He always said he thought they were just 'rich Texas oil folks'. Even had some of them to his house for dinner at times.

One of Lebman's 1911 FA conversion pistols (38super I believe) was used to kill an FBI agent at the Little Bohemia raid.
Lester Gillis was the shooter,,better known as Baby face Nelson.

Colt tinkered with FA 1911 pistols as well. Their design engineer Wm Swartz (Swartz Firing Pin Safety for the 1911) had one design that worked well but Colt never went anywhere with it.

The M1907 FA conversion did not show up much in the outlaw gangs hands though a couple have been noted.

The Feds went after Lebman after NFA went into effect.
They did arrest him at one point for possession of a 'stolen Govenment Property' Colt 1911 Pistol that he had in his shop.
That was in mid 1941.
With the outbreak of WW2 late that yr, the Fed Govt attention soon turned to other things and the case against Lebman was dismissed w/o further prosecution. I don't know the correct legal term for it.
He was never charged again in any firearms related incidents AFAIK.

Conversions of the M1907 are known to have been done by, or were done for and given to the Cuban Rebel forces during the Cuban Revolution in the 50's.

I've seen pictures of them. Usually shortened bbls and somewhat crude appearing conversions, the rifles then fitted with what appears to be perhaps 20rd detachable magazines.
The source and the ammo supply?, Don't know.
But being in the 1950's there were many military small arms on the worlds trade tables up for grabs. It must have been quite a closed off Island for them to have had to resort to doing that.
What ever works at the time...